Govt’s decision on mine harmful: O’Neill
THE nation has suffered terribly because of the Government’s decision not to renew the special mining lease for the Porgera mine which led to its closure, says People’s National Congress Party leader Peter O’Neill.
O’Neill, the Ialibu-Pangia MP, called on Prime Minister James Marape to stop “wasting time on politics and grandstanding” and return to the negotiating table to re-open the mine.
“Re-opening the Porgera mine should not be an issue to be decided in court. It is an issue to be resolved between the Government, landowners and investors, negotiating in good faith,” O’Neill said.
“Barrick have put a revised proposal on the table. Marape has not put forward any proposal. So he should get to work now.
“If he thinks there is more that can be negotiated for our people, he has to present it in his argument. But no one will know until the parties sit down to negotiate.” Marape had earlier said the Government wanted to advance big projects such as Wafi-Golpu and Porgera before the third quarter of the year.
“And to our provincial governments and landowners in those resource areas, please be rest assured that our Government will give you a fairer share within what the State secures from negotiations with developers,” Marape said.
O’Neill urged Marape to “find the courage and take the lead right now”.
“Enga and landowners have lost tens of millions of Kina in revenue that cannot be replaced this year. Thousands of jobs have already been lost, and hundreds of businesses have closed,” he said.
“Services that had been funded by the mine in Enga are being cut including electricity supply, healthcare services, support for policing and judiciary administration, and infrastructure projects that are now being stopped.”
6 comments
Marape Steven government driving this resource rich country backwards. This government is even killing its own people by closing down mines where people work and sustain their living. Marape government is making people jobless and suffer while he is enjoying himself playing politics. Marape’s interest is to hang onto power beyond 2022 but he must not forget that the father of modern png and king of infrustructure in this country is not dead and people are crying for his return therefore get prepared to face him headon.
Marape is operating on borrowed ideas and making things come into complete stop. No major impact projects going on, all the miness and Oil and Gas projects shut down in which ordinary papua new guineans leaving jobless living in poverty, no economic spinoffs and SME booster. Marape’s SLOGAN OF TAKING BACK PNG AND MAKING BLACK CHRISTIAN NATION IS JUST A DREAM AND WISH COMES OUT FROM HIS DNA. Country now needs someone who can rescue this country before it sink. Country have heard enough of sweet talk, when will Marape walk the talk? If you dont know how to start and where to start, your brother PO is just next to you, handover the leadership to him because he is the right man full of ideas and knows what to do and pick up from where he has stopped and country definitely needs PO now.
I’ve always said this Government is going to run down this country before the 2022 election. Mr. Marape is not a fit person…what is the real reason in closing down Pogera Gold Mine during this bad time of World Economic collapse due to COVID-19..? Was this a rational decision not to renew the licence of BNL?? Why didn’t this Government wait for COVID-19 to pass and drag on with negotiations?? Something is not right somewhere and on PMJM knows the real reason behing not granting BNL license.
I agree with Kanex and Yomo.
That option of using the expired mining licence as a bargaining chip to negotiate for fairer deals went begging when Marape in all his wisdom, opted not to renew the SML based on some advice from self-centered persons with sinister motives. That stupid short-sighted decision has affected so many local employees, contractors and all others who depend on the mine directly or indirectly. Is Marape going to compensate all these people who are already feeling the pinch?
Dear Yomo Longi,when you want to boast about this slogan “king of the insfracture in PNG is non other than our founding farthers,one example is Sir Iambakey Okuk who was the first person to introduce Air Niguini to PNG on borrowed from the factory,also fight hard to construct Highlands Highway from Lae connecting all highlands provinces and even to Madang in honour we call Okuk Highway”Grand chief Somare was the artitech in moulding PNG to this state now we are in today just to name a few…during their times they never making annual budge of k2billion or k3billion like O’neill’s time.Also PM post is not O’neill”s birth right,Marape is in this public office not long enough so don’t judge him very quickly….O’neill let the country down to earth by borrowing huge amount money in the good name of FREE EDUCATION with no quality of education and FREE HEALTH CARE with no medecines in all hospital around PNG,simply look around at pom city with some unfinished stadiums and many maseritis and buses parking besides expensive APEC building waiting to be rooten away,you can point one finger to the others but four fingers will be return you…
Marape Steven Government is operating on borrowed ideas…One man’s ill-advised and self-centred motives is ruining the economy of this country. PERIOD
Peter O’Neill needs to shut up…he had his turn and f up this country by borrowing in billions. Was he not the one who colluded with Oil search to purchase its 10% shares in billions? Using that money, oil search went and bought more then 20+ % from the Papua LNG project. He was the one who sold our country. He was the one who led this country like a dictator, never listening to advises from his senior ministers hence his downfall by one single man in current PM JM. O’neill doesn’t have anything in his Ialibu/Pangia electorate that can contribute to the country apart from the incomplete university. Marape hails from the LNG project and by blood has the power to negotiate for his ipili payale porgera and kare people. His people have suffered enough. This country has suffered for over 50+ years. We can’t continue to live on foreign aid and the royalties and the compo alone. If change has to happen, it is through such path which PMJM and his band of brothers that have come together from both sides of the house to form a government – this government have pursued.
To PM JM, DPM SD and band of brothers in Alan Bird, Gary Juffa, Brian Krama, K Kua, Tuke, Powi, Sir J, Tongam etc, God bless you all. Don’t bow down to foreign pressure. We the 8+ million people are willing to sacrifice for 1-2 years if that is what it has to take so that we end up getting back our country from those blood thirsty foreign tugs.
Again a notice to O’Neill and you all emotional band of countrymen. Go get ready to meet these new brand of leaders for 2022. They will meet you head on come the hour!
God Bless PNG!
Comments are closed.